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Let’s Talk About the Buses at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa

Joshua
Written by Joshua Posted
Let's Talk About the Buses at Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa

Disney resort guests have strong opinions about Saratoga Springs. Very strong. Let’s just say you should avoid reading the comments section whenever anyone posts about it. Personally, we love this resort, albeit with a big caveat: the buses.

Saratoga has five distinct sections:

  1. The Grandstand
  2. The Carousel
  3. The Paddock
  4. Congress Park
  5. The Springs
Map showing the sections and bus stops for Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa

What section is right for you?

Saratoga Springs is spaced out over 65 acres. To say this resort is enormous is an understatement! So choosing the right location is important, especially when it comes to transportation. You can easily walk to Disney Springs if your villa is in Congress Park. Similarly, you can take a water taxi to the Springs from the Carriage House boat dock.

But our favorite location has to be The Grandstand. You’ll notice it’s the first stop on the bus route. This is important for two reasons.

  • You’ll always be guaranteed a seat on your way to the parks.
  • You’ll be dropped off first at the end of a long day in the parks.
An empty Disney World bus
My view after boarding a bus at The Grandstand. As TheTimTracker says, I was king of the bus!

Getting on at The Grandstand is a mixed bag, however. Since you are the first pick-up, you will have a pretty long commute to the parks. I timed it last November: 30 minutes from the moment I stepped on the bus until we left the resort grounds. Now, there were a couple of motorized carts that had to be accommodated along the way, but that was brutal.

But I’ll choose that scenario and any day, because…

On the final day of a recent vacation, we took our bags to the Carriage House bell services so we could enjoy our last few hours at Animal Kingdom. After the drop-off, we walked to the bus stop at The Springs. A full Epcot bus drove past a crowd of waiting guests, never even slowing down. There were a lot of raised arms and incredulous faces. Unfortunately, those people probably waited another 20 minutes for the next bus to arrive. While being the fifth stop means your commute to the parks will be shorter, there is the remote possibility you won’t even make it on during busier parts of the day.

Staying in a Treehouse Villa?

Treehouse Villa guests will have an even longer commute, as they’ll need to take a shuttle from their area to The Springs. This effectively adds 20-30 minutes of travel time. If your Treehouse is close to The Grandstand, it’s a short walk to the bus stop. Personally, I would save those steps for the parks and order a ride share or Minnie Van instead.

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